Clemens Prader made European Tour history on Saturday as he became the first player to be handed a time penalty at the Shot Clock Masters.
The innovative new-format is a 72-hole stroke play event but with a twist, every player is on the clock for every shot.
The players have a 50-second allowance for a first to play approach shot (including a par three tee-shot), chip or putt and a 40-second allowance for a tee-shot on a par four or par five, or second or third to play approach shot, chip or putt.
Failure to make your shot in the allotted time leads to a one-shot penalty on the hole in question but players are allowed two 40-second time-extensions in any one round.
Nobody fell foul of the shot clock over days one and two at Diamond Country Club but Prader ran out of time on Saturday morning, taking four seconds over his allotted 50 to take a putt on the sixth.
🚨 TIME VIOLATION 🚨
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) June 9, 2018
We've had our first #ShotClockMasters time violation here in Austria.
Clemens Prader took 54 seconds over a putt on the 6th, 4 seconds above the allotted time. He receives a one-shot penalty for that hole. pic.twitter.com/f8n8DEWEsJ
It was easy to feel some sympathy for the local favourite as he did not hear the referee declare that the clock had started ticking down, but the 39 year old was philosophical after taking a somewhat unwanted place in European Tour history.
“I just didn't hear him, I didn't hear 'time',” he said. “I was just in my routine and it must have been called sometime when I was walking to my ball, which is fine, I just didn't hear it. It was just four seconds over, which is a little unfortunate.
“I was a little angry, I hope you didn't have any cameras on me. It got me so heated that I actually holed a bunker shot on the next hole, which was okay, it kind of reversed it.
It's just how it is. It's the name of the game and I accept it - Clemens Prader
“It was not a problem, I just didn't hear. My caddie told me, he wasn't watching, he didn't hear the time as well but the other guys heard it. It's just an unfortunate situation. It was early, I was still going with a decent round, it's just how it is. It's the name of the game and I accept it.
“You just have to deal with it, I just didn't hear it. In the other shots I was probably about 20 seconds or something.”
Prader has the conoslation of not being the only player to be handed a time penalty, later on Saturday Scot Grant Forrest took three seconds over his allotted 40 on an approach to the 15th.
